From the smell wafting from fromageries when you walk down the street to the cheese counter at the supermarket and the Camembert reminding you of its presence whenever you open the fridge door, it's hard to escape the smell of cheese when you're in France.

Photo: Chris Buecheler/Flickr

2. Cigarette smoke

The smell of cigarettes is practically inescapable on the streets of France and that's especially true if you sit on the terrace of a French café or walk past almost any office block at any time of the day.

3. Coffee

French cafes play an essential role in daily life when you're in France and, unsurprisingly, they tend to smell very pungently of coffee.

4. Ferry fumes

You're not quite in France yet but you're on your way. Once you catch a whiff of those fumes from a Brittany Ferries or P&O boat, you know you're nearly there.

5. Perfume

France is known around the world for its perfume and when you're here you won't go for very long without catching a whiff of a classic scent.

Several readers mentioned the perfumes that mean France to them, with classic French perfumes including Cabotine by Gres and Chanel Egoiste getting special mentions.

And another reader said that Shocking by Schiaparelli will always remind her of "Galeries Lafayette in Paris in the 70s."

6. Lavender fields

The smell of fresh lavender is a sure sign that you're lucky enough to be in Provence.

Lavender fields in the picturesque Luberon region. AFP

7. Herbs de Provence

In a country known for its culinary prowess, lavender isn't the only herb competing for your attention in France. Kitchens and restaurants are absolutely full of them and for many of you, the scent of wild thyme and Herbes de Provence were the smells you most associated with France.

8. Fresh air

Slightly controversial this one. But what does fresh air smell off? But many people responded that the fresh air in the French countryside is a smell that lets them know they are in France. We are in Paris so we'll have to take their word for it. Here it's the comboined smell of vehicle fumes, bread, cigarettes and a little waft of a blocked sewage pipe that fills the air with a unique odour.

9. Manure on the fields

France is a country with a large agricultural industry and so when you're in the countryside it's likely you'll be exposed to a bit of a pong..but remember, it's all for a good cause.

10. Roasting chestnuts

When October comes, the distinctive smell of roastng chestnuts wafts through the streets in French cities.

11. Fresh oysters

Wander French markets, especially those on the coast and you'll come across the smell of fresh oysters as you pass them piled high at stalls...as long as you're there during a month with an 'r' in its name, that is.

Photo: Dondi Joseph/Flickr

12. The Metro in Paris

Several readers said that the smell of the Paris Metro was a pleasurable reminder that they're in France, although Parisians might not agree with that given the Metro is not known for its pleasant aromas. It is however unique as is the smell of the warm air that comes through up through the grates and onto the street.

13. Fish counters in supermarkets

In a lot of French supermarkets, the only smell putting up any sort of a fight against the cheese aisle(s) is the fish counter. In fact many readers commented on the whiff of fish as soon as they enter the supermarket.

14. Bread from boulangeries

The smell of a warm baguette is practically synonymous with life in France. And if you're lucky to be living here, you'll know this mouthwatering scent is also synonymous with breakfast, lunch and dinner.

15. Sunflowers

When you're driving through fields filled with thousands upon thousands of sunflowers their famously subtle smell is inescapable.

Photo: DALLA SUSANNA/Flickr

16. Rotisseries

One of the many delicious smells competing for your attention as you wander the streets in France is the mouthwatering smell of rotisserie-cooked meat. If you weren't hungry when you left the house, you will be after catching a whiff of this aroma.

17. Rhum baba

This classic French dessert usually contains far more "rhum" than "baba" as you'll discover when you sit at a table with someone indulging in one (especially if you happen to be eating at a restaurant where they leave you the bottle).

Rhum baba. Photo: Tangopaso/Flickr

18. Fruit in the summer

The smell of the first strawberries of the season, punnets of pungent raspberries and piles of peaches at the market stalls, summer in France is always accompanied by the smell of high quality fresh fruit.

"The tomatoes smell like [they did] when I was a kid in England in the 50s," said one reader.

19. Crepes

There are just so many creperies in France that you're never more than a few steps away from one. Hence the smell of crepes and gallettes is everywhere.

(Jean-Luc Bailleul)

20. Winter smells

Winter in France means the smell of open fires in the house and the smokey scent of the air outside, Christmas recipes rich in spices and the smell of waffles in the streets.

21. Bad body odour

We thought this was a bit of an old cliché but ended up including it simply because so many readers mentioned it. One particular complaint was about shoppers having bad BO in supermarkets. Perhaps it's because deodorant is so expensive in French supermarkets.

Slightly controversial this one. But what does fresh air smell off? But many people responded that the fresh air in the French countryside is a smell that lets them know they are in France. We are in Paris so we'll have to take their word for it. Here it's the comboined smell of vehicle fumes, bread, cigarettes and a little waft of a blocked sewage pipe that fills the air with a unique odour.